The singer caused controversy when a fan called him a zagruta (Arabic congratulations) during his Coachella show by responding, “I don’t like it.”
Watch Sabrina Carpenter’s “Pit Stop” in Southern California during Coachella 2026
Airbnb announced “Sabrina’s Pitstop” in early April. That coincides with her debut as a headliner at Coachella in 2026.
Sabrina Carpenter has apologized for a controversial interaction with an audience member during her Coachella performance.
The “Please Please Please Please” singer, 26, told X that she regrets the reaction to hearing the celebratory Arabic call zagruta in the audience while performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 10.
“Sorry, I didn’t see this person in the eye and couldn’t hear you clearly. My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm, no malice. I could have handled it better! Now I know what Zagruta is!” Carpenter wrote on April 11, adding, “I welcome all cheers and yodels from now on.”
Video footage has gone viral on social media showing the Grammy-winning pop star expressing confusion and discomfort after hearing Zagruta, which she mistook for a yodel, in the audience during her Coachella performance. “Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it,” she said.
A fan could be heard shouting back, “That’s my culture,” while the singer joked, “That’s your culture, what about yodeling?” “Congratulations call,” someone in the crowd could be heard shouting, and Carpenter joked, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”
ArabAmerica.com describes zagruta as “a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound that expresses a throbbing beat of joy” and is “commonly played at weddings, parties, celebrations, and sometimes funerals to honor someone and express strong emotions.” In 2020, Shakira incorporated the sound into her Super Bowl halftime show performance, prompting numerous news outlets to publish articles explaining the importance of the sound.
Some fans on social media expressed outrage at Carpenter’s response, with one user calling Carpenter’s comments “so insensitive and Islamophobic,” adding: “I’m so disappointed in her.”
Another user of
Carpenter headlined the first night of the music festival on April 10, playing a set filled with surprise celebrity cameos. Will Ferrell plays a frustrated electrician, Susan Sarandon delivers a long interlude monologue, and Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo appearance as a spiritual leader, whose voice can be heard during an intermission in Carpenter’s performance of “Juno.”
This was Carpenter’s first time headlining Coachella. She previously predicted that she would return in 2024 to perform at the festival, singing, “Coachella, see you here when I headline.”
